American Crystal

No leading practices were identified in the governance and strategy area.

No leading practices were identified in the ecosystems and biodiversity area.

No leading practices were identified in the social inclusion and community impact area.

Act ethically
The company has a clear policy that prohibits bribery and corruption. Additionally, it requires all interactions with government officials to be conducted in an honest and ethical manner. The company ensures that all workers have access to channels to raise complaints or concerns, and provides the option for complainants to either remain anonymous or identify themselves.

Respect human rights
The company states that it has a human rights grievance mechanism that is accessible to all workers. Additionally, the company also ensures that this mechanism is available to external stakeholders who may be adversely affected by the company’s actions.

Lobbying
While the company discloses some sugar associations it is a membe of, it has an opportunity disclose a list of trade associations of which it is a member for all jurisdictions in which it operates. Additionally,the company has an opportunity to disclose a clear and detailed framework for assessing alignment of its trade associations with its sustainability targets and to report (potential) misalignments.

Stakeholder engagement
The company does not disclose how it engages with stakeholders, nor the issues it raises during such activities.

Sustainability strategy and accountability
The company discloses no sustainability strategy with nature-related targets and does not report on sustainability accountability within its governance structure.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
No evidence was found regarding the company’s efforts to avoid ecosystem conversion, including deforestation, or promote restoration. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets.

GHG emissions
The company discloses that it will continue to seek and deploy environmental performance improvements which also includes taking necessary actions to reduce air emissions. However, no evidence found that the company discloses quantitative reductions for its scope 1 and 2 emissions. Thus, the company should set time-bound targets to reduce its scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions as well as report progress against them. Crucially, the company needs to reduce its scope 1,2 and 3 emissions and its targets need to align with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Impact and dependencies assessment
The company has an opportunity to disclose assessments of its impacts on nature, including biodiversity, within its own operations and in its supply chain. It also has the opportunity to disclose its dependencies on nature within its own operations and upstream business relationships.

Invasive species
The company has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations.

Key areas and species
The company has an opportunity to disclose locations within or adjacent to areas important for biodiversity, both in its own operations and its supplier locations. It could also disclose existing species populations existing in or adjacent to both its own and its suppliers’ locations, as well as the conservation status of species identified at its own sites according to national and international lists.

Resource exploitation and circularity performance
The company has an opportunity to disclose its inputs according to an international standard, and to report quantitatively on its group-wide circularity performance. The company also has an opportunity to disclose activities to improve soil health or agrobiodiversity in its production or sourcing practices, to disclose a target to improve soil health in its production or sourcing practices and to report progress against it.

Solid and air pollution
The company does not disclose relevant information related to pollution in its operations or supply chains.

Water
The company does not disclose relevant information related to water, in its operations or supply chains.

Indigenous Peoples’ and land rights
The company does not disclose a commitment to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Also, the company does not disclose its processes to identify and recognise the rights of Indigenous Peoples when activities in its own operations may impact their rights, and describes how it obtains Indigenous Peoples’ free, prior and informed consent.

Safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
The company has an opportunity to commit to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders. Moreover, it should track its actual or potential negative impacts on the health of local communities.

Act ethically
The company has an opportunity to disclose a policy on bribery and corruption, and include anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with business relationships. It could also disclose its processes for identifying and addressing bribery and corruption, along with implementing a grievance mechanism for stakeholders to raise related complaints. Additionally, the company could disclose its approach to lobbying and political engagement, specifying that it does not make political contributions and divulging its lobbying expenditures.

Provide and promote decent work
While the company claims to prioritize the health and safety of its workers, it has the opportunity to formalize this commitment in a public policy document. It could also extend this dedication to its business relationships and enhance transparency in monitoring supplier health and safety performance.

Furthermore, the company can disclose a time-bound target for ensuring a living wage for all workers. The company has the chance to reveal its methodology for defining a living wage in the regions of its operations. Additionally, it can disclose the mechanisms by which it encourages its suppliers to provide a living wage.

Moreover, the company has an opportunity to publicly declare its commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment and set clear time-bound targets to achieve this. The company currently reports that all 15 members of its board are male, indicating a lack of gender diversity.

Respect human rights
While the company’s policy addresses employment discrimination, it falls short in fully respecting all four fundamental human rights at work declared by ILO, including freedom of association and collective bargaining, both within its own operations and across suppliers.

Furthermore, the company has an opportunity to outline a process for identifying human rights risks in various locations and activities, enhancing disclosure by sharing assessment results.

Additionally, it could detail how it identifies its most significant human rights concerns and establish a global system to address, prevent, or mitigate these issues.